Cam-CAN is a large-scale
collaborative research project, launched in October 2010, with
substantial funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council (BBSRC).
The Cam-CAN project is using epidemiological, behavioural, and
neuroimaging data to understand how individuals can best retain
cognitive abilities into old age.

Cam-CAN will help change
our perspectives on ageing
Although the popular view of ageing is as a process of
decline and decay, new scientific discoveries suggest a
very different view - one in which the brain remains
flexible and adaptable across the lifespan, with many
cognitive abilities being preserved. A major aim of our
research is to understand the nature of these
brain-cognition relationships across the lifespan, and to
change the perspective of ageing in the 21st century by
highlighting the importance of abilities that are
maintained into old age.

Cam-CAN will examine
lifelong development, not just old age
Our research takes a lifespan perspective to understanding
how the mind and brain develop across the adult lifespan
in order to preserve cognitive function. This research
will include participants across the entire adult
lifespan, aged 18 and up. Our aim is to understand how
changes in the brain across the adult lifespan impact on
cognitive functions like memory and attention. Our
emphasis will be on determining the extent of neural
flexibility and the potential for neural reorganisation to
preserve cognitive functions.

Cam-CAN brings together
researchers across diverse disciplines
This research requires the cooperation of researchers and
collaborators across the UK to provide an
interdisciplinary view of the ageing mind and brain. Our
core research teams include members of research groups in
Cambridge including the Departments of Psychology, Public
Health and Primary Care, Psychiatry, Clinical
Neurosciences, and Engineering in the University of
Cambridge and the Medical Research Council Cognition and
Brain Sciences Unit. Over 30 project researchers and
collaborators will contribute to a new view of adult
development that incorporates demographic, psychological,
physical, and neural measures.

Read more about our research
Read more about the different research topics here,
or visit our
people page for information on individual researchers. We also publish annual Cam-CAN Project Newsletters for our participants which you can find here:

Information about the website

If you would like to have more information about this website,
please contact the Project Manager, Dr
Meredith Shafto (Department of Psychology,
University of Cambridge).